Speaking on this morning’s Big Ten Coaches teleconference, Indiana coach Tom Crean said it’s unlikely that sophomore guard Matt Roth, recovering from a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot, will return this season:

“Matt Roth, I would doubt very much that we’re going to be able to use him this season in the sense of him being able to recover right now. It’s been a slow process. It was a process that was moving in a good direction, but at the same time, it’s maybe kind of run its course so I’m not sure we’re going to be able to use him.”

“I think it’s pretty probable it’s going to happen right now (a medical redshirt), because that was the plan all along if he couldn’t play. I would say that it’s right there. I don’t think at this point it looks like he’s going to be cleared to play, so we’re just going to leave it where it is. I’m just going based on what I know.”

Yesterday, via our dear friends at the Hoosier Scoop, we got a clearer picture of Matt Roth’s progress from his foot injury. We know the boot is off; he even was shooting around a bit before the Iowa game.

Some quotes from coach Tom Crean on his radio show last evening:

We’re getting closer to decision time,” Crean said on his radio show Monday night. “He’s ahead of schedule, what that totally means, we’re getting closer to finding out.”

“We’d really like him back,” Crean said. “And the thing about Matt is not only can he shoot it, but Matt moves the basketball. When that ball stops, and that thought gets out ‘lets see if I have a play before I make the next pass.’ That’s the stuff we’ve gotta go through, and it drives me nuts.”

If you remember back when the injury occurred in Puerto Rico, Crean did indicate that if Roth was still unable to play in February, the team wouldn’t bring him back aboard; instead they’d apply for a medical hardship and give Roth another year of eligibility.

We’re about at the breaking point here: Roth may be ahead of schedule, but if he’s still not good to go very soon, it’s likely he won’t play this season.

But let’s not reach that conclusion just yet. Let’s talk about where Roth fits in with this current incarnation of the Hoosiers. Roth is certainly no NBA talent, but he’s also a guy that can hit the outside shot like few others on this team. When he’s hot, he’s hot. It takes some serious shooting talent to be able to knock down nine threes — tied for an IU record — as a freshman. So where I see him fitting in sans Mo Creek is another option for IU in the corners or out on the wings to knock down treys. Think of him as a Jordan Hulls type, except without the point guard skills. I’m not sure his presence in Crean’s system allows this Hoosiers team another win or two, but who knows: when IU failed to hit a three against Iowa, a hot Roth could have been there to keep it closer at the end of that game. And if Crean is pointing out his passing value as well, he’d probably see some decent minutes off the bench this season.

If I had my druthers, I’d say it’s probably best to get Roth a redshirt season here, and use his shooting prowess down the road when IU is battling to get in the NCAA Tournament. No reason to rush him back now. Though, this decision could muddy up the scholarship situation at some point down the road.

So what say you ITH’ers? Would you want a bump from Matt Roth in the back half of the Big Ten season? Or would you prefer him not to burn a year of eligibility?

Tom Crean confirmed Monday evening on his weekly radio show with Don Fischer that Indiana sophomore guard Matt Roth broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during a practice in Puerto Rico and will have surgery on Wednesday. Here’s a transcript of Crean’s comments:

“It actually happened the first practice there. We started out with some two-hand rebounding and then we went to some one-on-one rebounding and that’s where he got hurt. He just got tangled and none of us knew it at the time. I don’t even remember him falling. But I remember him being in the drill and it was one those, we’re starting to get after it drills. And the way he described it is, he just got tangled up and his ankle didn’t move. Tim (Garl) was pretty sure and then Dr. Rink and Dr. Ahlfeld got there shortly after that to the practice and took him in to be x-rayed. It’s been confirmed that he’s got a fifth metatarsal break and he’s going to have surgery on Wednesday”

“And so, it hurts us. He’s made a ton of strides, he’s gained over 20 pounds and if you would have told me he’d had more two-point baskets in two games than three-point baskets I wouldn’t have believed it. You know, there’s no question that’s a guy that really, really spaces the floor and understands the angles and is a smart young man. What we’ll do is, he’ll have the surgery now, this got determined last night. And then we’ll just read it. He’ll rehab and try to come back in the sense of let’s see what happens this year. But if gets into that early February time or gets even into January and he doesn’t want to try I would never make him do that. I want him to do what’s best for his career. Now if its early January then I think there’s a decision to make and now maybe he’s right there back for the Big Ten. But if it gets into February, we don’t want him to burn his year.”

Hoosier Hysteria is on the horizon and it’s time for Inside the Hall’s player-by-player breakdown of the 2009-2010 Indiana Hoosiers. Today: Matt Roth.

When Matt Roth signed a Letter of Intent with Indiana, former coach Kelvin Sampson compared his shooting ability to Lee Humphrey, a catalyst in Florida’s back-to-back national championships. The comparison was a high billing considering Humphrey is the all-time leader in three-pointers made in the NCAA Tournament. The Washington (IL) native showed flashes of shooting brilliance as a freshman, but for the most part, he was a one-dimensional threat who lived and died by the three-pointer.

Roth attempted 174 shots in 2008-2009 and 153 came from behind the arc. While many considered Devan Dumes to be IU’s streakiest shooter, Roth was actually less effective than Dumes in shooting the basketball. If you throw out his extraordinary performance against Ohio State where he connected on 9 of 11 attempts, his three-point percentage checked in at just 34 percent.

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The season is almost here which means it’s time for video features from our friends at UWire (formerly The Palestra). Casey Richards has the story on the backcourt competition and the new up-tempo Hoosiers below:

To call free throw shooting a problem for the 2008-2009 version of the Indiana Hoosiers would be an understatement. The foul line has been more of a major catastrophe.

Indiana (6-18, 1-11 Big Ten) hit just 11 of 24 free throws and fell 65-52 to Illinois on Sunday afternoon in front of the first sellout crowd this season at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers are shooting just 65 percent from the foul line this season, including 66 percent in Big Ten play.

After trailing 36-15 late in the first half, Indiana closed to within six at 54-48 with 6:27 remaining on a coast to coast layup by Malik Story. But the Illini (21-5, 9-4) immediately answered with a 3-pointer by Chester Frazier and Indiana never got closer than eight the rest of the way.

“We gave ourselves some chances at the end, but really, the way we played in the first half didn’t give us enough,” Indiana coach Tom Crean said. “Give them credit. They made enough plays and they went up to the free throw line and made the free throws.”

The loss set a school record for losses in a season (18) and tied a school record for Big Ten losses (11), a mark IU will almost certainly eclipse with six conference games remaining.

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FINAL SCORE: Illinois 65, Indiana 52

THE GOOD:

The second half. During their first matchup, Illinois was one of the teams this year that IU was never in the game against. At halftime, it sure looked like that was going to be the case again this afternoon. But, as we’ve seen so many times this season, IU did not quit. The Hoosiers did not give up. They fought. And though they never seriously threatened to win this game — six was as close as they got — they showed some amazing resolve in front of a packed crowd at home. Crawling back from a 21-point deficit to come as close as six is never an easy thing.

It was a combination of two things: IU shot 57 percent in the second half, and as Greg Anthony alluded to, IU switched up to a triangle and two on the defensive end, which slowed the Illini down a bit. Oh, also: Illinois stopped blocking all our shots.

Individually, Matt Roth continues to show no fear, as he went for 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting.

THE BAD AND UGLY:

Free throws. IU lost this game by 13 points. They missed 13 free throws. If they make half of those that they missed — in the six or seven range — the Hoosiers are in better shape the last few minutes of the game. And if they made them all, or close to them all, who knows?

The first half. I’m trying to block that out my memory of it, so I will just say one thing: It was bad. Real bad.

For the game, IU only turned the ball over 13 times.

I’ll be honest: I probably didn’t appreciate Matt Roth’s 9-of-11 3-point performance against Ohio State — shameless plug: Club Trillion! –  quite enough. He did, after all, tie an IU record. As a freshman. That’s pretty darn impressive any way you slice it. (Except if you slice it in triangles. That’s just not right.)

Thankfully though, the Big Ten Network brought him on  “Big Ten Tonight” to talk about it one more time. Watch as he answers what it feels like to “be in the zone” and how he should “do a temperature check” before tomorrow night’s game. Yippee.